PLAYER OF THE WEEK Portland State's Vanessa Applegate was named the Western Athletic Conference Player of the Week.
Applegate, a senior shortstop from Aloha, Ore., (Westview HS) led the Vikings to a win over No. 13 Fresno State with a two-run single. The win was Portland State's first against Fresno State. Applegate ended the week with a .316 average with four runs scored and five RBI. She also added a double and a home run.
This is Applegate's first player of the week honor. The last Viking to earn player of the week honors was Kiauna Anderson April 9, 2001. Viking pitcher Morgan Seibert earned pitcher of the week honors the week of April 22 of this season.
PITCHER OF THE WEEK Loyola Marymount's Jennifer Heliotes was named WAC Pitcher of the Week. Heliotes, a senior from Petaluma, Calif., (Casa Grande HS) pitched the first seven-inning no-hitter in her four-year career with a 1-0 win over Portland State. In her final home game of her career, Heliotes went the distance, striking out six and walking three.
She ended the week with a 2-1 record with two shutouts against Portland State and San Diego. Both wins were 1-0 victories.
WAC HEADLINERS Other player of the week nominees included: Pam Perez, Fresno State and Jessica Grassi, Loyola Marymount.
Fresno States Perez hit .353 in six games for Fresno State. In 17 at bats, she had six hits, including one triple. She also scored one run.
Loyola Marymounts Jessica Grassi hit .333 in six games as the Lions went 4-2 last week. The freshman shortstop had five hits and two RBI.
Other pitcher of the week nominees included: Jamie Southern, Fresno State and Nichole Ivie, Portland State.
Fresno States Jamie Southern went 1-1 in three appearances with a 0.00 ERA. The freshman pitched two complete games, allowing only eight hits and one unearned run. Southern struck out 21 batters.
Portland States Nichole Ivie went 1-0 with a 0.00 ERA. The junior pitched her second shutout of the season and led the Vikings to their first-ever win over Fresno State.
HELIOTES TOSSES NO-HITTER Loyola Marymount senior Jennifer Heliotes pitched the entire seven innings for the Lions collecting her seventh shutout of the season, and her first seven-inning no-hitter of her college career. Her season record improved to 17-15 overall. She earned the no-hitter in her final home game.
After a scoreless six and a half innings, the Lions had collected only two hits against the Vikings. In the bottom of the seventh Heliotes helped her own cause with a single to reach first. Lauren Hiramoto entered the game to run at first for Heliotes and advanced to second on leftfielder Megan Julian's fielder's choice, however both players remained safe on an error by the shortstop. Hiramoto scored the game-winning run when LMU shortstop, Jessica Grassi singled down the left line for the win.
CAREER RECORDS Several WAC players are etching their names into the WAC career recordbook.
Fresno States Lindsay Fossatti moved into first in WAC career walks, passing teammate Angela Cervantez who had 97 walks. Currently, Fossatti has 110 walks. Bulldog freshman pitcher Jamie Southern moved into 10th on the all-time strikeout list. She has 361 Ks in her freshman season. Southern is 24 strikeouts from Dena Mullins (UNM, 1992-93) and her ninth place spot. With a career-high 25 sacrifices on the season after notching two this past weekend, senior first baseman/second baseman Vanessa Czarnecki became the WACs career record holder in sacrifices with 70. The previous record was 65 by Tyree Woodruff, Hawaii (1997-01).
Portland State junior Morgan Seibert moved into fifth in career strikeouts with 585. She passed Colorado States Nikki Johnson (1995-97). She is also fifth in strikeouts per seven innings with 6.45 strikeouts per game. Southern is second in that category with 8.14 strikeouts per seven innings.
WINDING DOWN Two WAC teams have already played their final regular season games of the 2002 season. Louisiana Tech and Portland State are both done for the season. The Lady Techsters finished the season with a 21-27 record, 3-21 in the WAC, in their first season in the WAC. In their final season in the WAC, the Vikings finished with a 11-13 WAC record, 22-35 overall.
The Lady Techsters first season in the WAC was highlighted by speedster Brittany Stanley who leads the WAC in stolen bases (30-34). Stanley ended the season 11th in the nation in stolen bases per game (0.63).
The Vikings season was highlighted by junior Morgan Seibert who became the first Portland State pitcher to record two 200 strikeout seasons in a career with her third of five strikeouts against Oregon State on Monday, April 29. Seibert, who had 215 Ks as a sophomore, now has 217 on the season and a school record 585 for her career. Deb Fitzhugh (1980-83) struck out a single-season record 250 in 1982. Seibert holds the fifth spot on the WAC career strikeout list.
BATTER UP The WAC begins its 15th and final week of regular season play.
With a 17-5 WAC record, Fresno State clinched a share of the conference title last week at home. The Bulldogs look to capture their fifth consecutive WAC crown and sixth title in the last seven years outright this weekend. The Bulldogs face San Jose State on May 11 to close out the regular season. Fresno State has taken the WACs automatic bid by winning three of four against both second place teams, Tulsa and Hawaii.
The Golden Hurricane and the Wahine will face off against each other in Honolulu May 10-11. Tulsa and Hawaii will play a four-game series. Loyola Marymount closes out the regular season at the WISL Tournament at Saint Marys College.
AROUND THE HORN (NOTES FROM AROUND THE LEAGUE) FRESNO STATE will be making its 21st consecutive appearance in the NCAA Division I Softball Championship Tournament. The Bulldog softball program is the only program in the country to have appeared in each of the NCAA Tournaments sponsored since 1982 ... HAWAII is batting .273 overall and .299 in WAC play. Shortstop Kate Judd leads the way, batting .357 overall with a team-leading 13 doubles to go along with 11 home runs and 33 RBI. Judd is batting .439 in 20 WAC games. Fellow Ausie Stacey Porter is a second, batting .333 overall ... LOUISIANA TECH closed out its first season in the WAC, losing its last six games. The Lady Techsters closed out the season with a 21-27 record, 3-21 in WAC. Louisiana Tech earned its WAC wins against Hawaii (4-1), San Jose State (4-1) and Portland State (2-1) ... LOYOLA MARYMOUNT will travel to Moraga to play in the WISL Tournament. The Lions will face Saint Mary's, Santa Clara and San Diego, who they already split a doubleheader with to start the tournament. The tournament is scheduled from Friday, May 10 through Sunday, May 12 at Saint Mary's College ... portland state finished the 2002 season with a conference record of 11-13, good for fifth place in the seven-team league. The Vikings ended the season with an upset win over Fresno State before being swept by fellow affiliate LMU ... SAN JOSE STATE has a tough conclusion to the season. The Spartans split with No. 17 Pacific. San Jose State will conclude with No. 8 Stanford and No. 13 Fresno State ... TULSA is now 46-14 the season. The Hurricane is assured its first winning season in the softball program's history. TUs 46 wins eclipses the number of wins the Hurricane had for the previous two seasons combined. This is also the first season that the Golden Hurricane have been regionally ranked.
SELECTION SUNDAY The field for 48 teams for the 2002 NCAA Division I Softball Championship will be announced on a selection show at 9:00 p.m. (EDT) on Sunday, May 12. The softball selection show will appear on ESPNEWS.
Regional play will be May 16-19 at campus locations, and the Women's College World Series will be May 23-27 at ASA Hall of Fame Stadium in Oklahoma City.
Forty-eight teams are selected for championship play. Six teams will participate at each of eight regional sites. The Women's College World Series will include the eight regional winners.
SOUTHERN NAMED FINALIST Fresno State freshman Jamie Southern is a Top 10 Finalist for Player of the Year. In April, Southern was selected as one of 25 collegiate softball players for the inaugural USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year Award. She was one of three freshmen to be singled out by The Amateur Softball Association. On May 3, the freshman became one of 10 finalists for the national honor.
With the recent announcement of an invitation extended to Southern to attend the USA World Championship Team camp this summer, the list will be narrowed a third time as three finalists will be selected by May 31. The winner of the 2002 USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year Award will be announced June 7.
SPARTANS NEAR SCHOOL RECORDS San Jose State junior Veronica Ramos tied the Spartan single-season record for doubles with her 14th in the first game of a doubleheader against Pacific. Ramos ties Kara Kanney and Pat Martinez who each hit 14 doubles in a season.
Pitcher Carol Forbes came close to breaking the school record for innings pitched in a season in a loss to Pacific. She has pitched in 230 innings and needs just a third of an inning to tie the record of 237.1 set by Gale Dean in 1989.
WEST REGIONAL RANKINGS Three of the seven WAC schools were ranked in the West Regional poll. The remaining four schools are all located in California. This season is the first time that Tulsa has been ranked regionally. This is the first poll in which the teams have been ranked. (As of April 17)
1. *Cal State Fullerton
2. Fresno State
3. *Pacific (California)
4. *Long Beach State
5. Hawaii
6. *Cal State Northridge
7. Tulsa
Others receiving votes: *Cal Poly, Louisiana Tech and Loyola Marymount
Bold = WAC schools
* = WAC opponents
COACHING RECORDS Portland State head coach Teri Mariani reached yet another milestone in her 26-year career as the Vikings' head coach, earned her 600th career win in game one of her team's doubleheader sweep of Louisiana Tech on April 18.
She now joins Fresno State head coach Margie Wright and Louisiana Tech head coach Bill Galloway as WAC coaches with at least 600 career wins. Both Wright and Galloway have over 800 Division I career wins. Wright reached the 1,000 win mark earlier this season. Galloway is nearing the 900 plateau in Division I wins.
Hawaii head coach Bob Coolen also reached a milestone this season. He passed the 400 win mark during a WAC doubleheader sweep of Loyola Marymount March 12.
NON-CONFERENCE MARK WAC teams are 150-113 (.570) in non-conference games. The WAC is 18-59 against teams that have been ranked in the NFCA poll. San Jose State is 2-11 with losses to No. 2 UCLA, No. 9 Washington, No. 23 San Diego State and No. 3 Arizona. The Spartans have upset No. 7 Arizona State, but fell to Oregon State on March 25. Last week, San Jose upset No. 17 Pacific, 1-0.
Fresno State is 8-10 with wins over No. 5 California and No. 23 San Diego State and losses to No. 1 UCLA, No. 8 Arizona State and No. 10 Cal State Fullerton. At the NFCA Classic, the Bulldogs went 2-2 against ranked teams with wins over No. 24 Mississippi State and No. 6 Washington. Fresno State fell to No. 2 Stanford and No. 5 LSU. Fresno State also added wins over No. 10 Pacific and No. 18 Louisiana Lafayette. The Bulldogs captured a 4-0 win against No. 11 Oklahoma in Oklahoma City on April 16.
Hawaii is 4-8 with two wins over No. 23 San Diego State and a win over No. 14 Oregon State. Last week, the Wahine went 1-3 against Fresno State. Portland State is 1-12 against ranked teams. The Vikings got their first win over a Fresno State. Loyola Marymount is 2-8, capturing two wins over No. 13 Fresno State. Tulsa is 1-5 against ranked teams. The Hurricane played their first ranked team with a 14-6 loss to No. 9 Oklahoma. TU gathered its first win against a ranked team with a 4-1 win over No. 13 Fresno State. The Lady Techsters are also 0-4 with four losses to Fresno State. (Ranking on date played).